New President for International Salvage Union (ISU)

The Annual General Meeting of the International Salvage Union (ISU) was held in Cape Town, South Africa, 2 October 2025. At the conclusion of the meeting, Captain Leendert Muller, Managing Director of Multraship Towage & Salvage, The Netherlands, was confirmed as President of the ISU.

Captain Muller succeeds Mr John Witte Jr., Donjon Marine, USA, who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee.

Mr Witte said: “It has been an absolute honour and privilege to have been the President of ISU these past two years, and to represent the interests of all our members as we have tackled the major issues facing our industry. We are a vibrant industry and we continue to provide vital services - the ISU members are critical partners for insurers and owners to help meet their ESG requirements.

“I am delighted to be handing over to Leendert Muller who comes from a family with a long and proud tradition in salvage. Leendert has much experience of the industry – after a long time at sea he worked in all the key departments including as principle salvage master, and has demonstrated great commitment to marine salvage and the ISU of which he is a past President and I am sure the leadership of our association will be in good hands.”

Commenting on his appointment, Captain Muller said: “I would like to thank John for all that he has done for the ISU over the past two years: he has shown great dedication to the role. For my part it is a great honour to be the President of the ISU and I look forward to leading the association as it continues to address the current challenges, in particular, enhancing the reputation of the industry and strengthening further our relationships with shipowners and insurers.”

At the same time, Mr Richard Janssen, Managing Director of SMIT Salvage, The Netherlands, was confirmed as the vice President of the ISU. Mr Janssen is a past President of the association.